PosterPDF Available

Microplastic in the Arctic – the missing link?

January 2016

DOI:10.13140/RG.2.1.1467.3042

Conference: Arctic Frontiers 2016
At: Tromsø, Norway

Project: Microplastics in arctic marine food chains – biological uptake pathways and socio-economic consequences

Authors:

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Plastic litter poses a risk for arctic marine ecosystems and human seafood consumption. In addition to physical interference with marine life, degrading plastic may adsorb hydrophobic pollutants from surrounding seawater, as well as leaching chemical additives into the sea, acting as an exposure route of pollutants to marine organisms and eventually to humans via the food chain. The extent of the problem in the Arctic is, however, largely unknown; little is known about plastic abundance, distribution and characteristics in the water column and on the sea floor. If the Arctic is a sink for plastic litter, it is of great importance to better understand how plastic behaves and how it affects Arctic marine biota and ecosystems.

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Microplastic in the Arctic – the missing link?

Photo by: D. Herzke

Dorte Herzke, NILU, Norway; Claudia Halsband, Akvaplan-niva, Norway, Jan H. Sundet, IMR, Norway, Geir. W. Gabrielsen, NP,

Norway, Eirik Mikkelsen and Heidi Rapp Nilsen, NORUT, Norway

Conclusions:

• Microplastics are a problem in arctic marine

ecosystems and require further monitoring and

research

• Ingestion of microplastics occurs across trophic

levels of arctic marine food chains

• Impacts on biota are estimated to be

considerable, but poorly understood, including

impacts on ecosystem services

• Communication and dissemination to

stakeholders (public, plastic producers and

policy makers) is essential to mitigate

microplastics impacts

The problem:

Plastic litter poses a risk for arctic marine

ecosystems and human seafood consumption. In

addition to physical interference with marine life,

degrading plastic may adsorb hydrophobic

pollutants from surrounding seawater, as well as

leaching chemical additives into the sea, acting as

an exposure route of pollutants to marine

organisms and eventually to humans via the food

chain.

The extent of the problem in the Arctic is,

however, largely unknown; little is known about

plastic abundance, distribution and characteristics

in the water column and on the sea floor. If the

Arctic is a sink for plastic litter, it is of great

importance to better understand how plastic

behaves and how it affects Arctic marine biota and

ecosystems.

Acknowledgements:

Cole, M. et al. (2013) Environmental Science & Technology 47, 6646-6655; Vroom, R. (2015) MSc thesis, Wageningen University, the Netherlands (Fig. 3)

Tycho Anker-Nielsen, NINA for collaboration on Northern Fulmars

Funding: FRAM Centre; Flagship Hazardous Substances 2014-2016.

Results:

1. Microplastics are ubiquitous in arctic marine matrices (water, sediment, biota)

2. Microplastics are taken up by arctic taxa (benthic animals and seabirds)

3. Chemical composition of plastics from sediment, beached plastic waste and bird stomach

samples is different and resembles the surrounding environment

4. Microplastics are subject to biofouling, which makes it more bioavailable to feeding

zooplankton

5. Estimation of economic losses in Norwegian seafood production due to microplastics is

difficult due to large knowledge-gaps

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0 5 10 15 20

Northern Fulmar: Size distribution in mm

Steps to an assessment of economic impact

MMP = Marine microplastics

1. Influx/

generation

of MMP

2. Fate of

MMP /

uptake in

marine

organisms

3. Physical,

chemical,

biological

impact

Mitigation?

5. Valuation/

asessment of ESS

effects

4. Ecosystem

service impacts

Adaptation?

6. Economic / welfare

changes

Plastics /

Microplastics

Marine

environment

Society

Ecosystem

sevices

Fig. 6: Socio-economic impact of plastic emissions

Fig. 2: Microplastics interactions in arctic marine

ecosystems

Fig. 5: Ingested plastic in Northern Fulmars

(Norwegian Arctic/mainland)

Fig. 1: Microplastics and pathways of associated contaminants

Fig.: 4: Northern Fulmar (photo by T. Anker Nielsen)

Beached

plastic

≠

Ingested

plastic

©T. Anker-Nielsen

Chemical additives

Dissolved chemical

pollutants, e.g. POPs

Biota

sorption

leaching

Marine environment:

A

B

C

A

1 mm

B

Fig. 3: Zooplankton ingesting (A) and egesting (B)

microplastics (green fluorescence). Plastics with a

biofilm have a higher probability of ingestion by

copepods than clean plastics (C).

1 mm

fecal pellet

copepod

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